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Xbox X|SWe've documented 16 accessibility features for The Forest, including Select Difficulty, Remap Buttons, Play Without Hearing, Audio Cues and Moderate Reading. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Visual, Audio, Difficulty, Reading and Navigation to reduce unintended barriers.
This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.
External examiner, Rich Adams, first checked The Forest accessibility 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Rich Adams and updated 2 years ago.
Accessibility Notes
When you want to save your progress, you need to go to one of several structures, such as a Log Cabin, a Temporary Shelter or a Tree House. Most of these you can craft using items you find in the game. Once you have got to one of these structures, you can select it and save the game.
Some actions, such as fighting mutants or cannibals, require you to be able to quickly move out of the way of incoming attacks or launch a counterattack. Some of them move rapidly, so you need to be on the lookout for where they are at all times or risk being caught unawares.
The text in the game is quite small and cannot be changed, and, as it is often overlaid directly over gameplay, in some instances it can blend in with the background, making it quite difficult to read.
The map is an item which you can find in a cave, which is also the same place you go after your first death, so it is relatively easy to get then. You need to get the map before you can continue on with your objectives or get new ones, and it starts blank but gets gradually filled in as you explore. It shows your location, objectives and some noteworthy geographical locations, but its style can make it a bit confusing to understand.
Although much of the game is quite bright, it is often quite low contrast, with lots of varying shades of green and brown. At nighttime and in caves, it becomes very dark and can be extremely difficult to navigate or see anything if you don't bring a light source. Alternatively, in the menu, you can change the colour profile in the Advanced Settings tab, which can help to brighten up the game. Some of the game's interactive elements can tend to blend in with the scenery. Although you cannot outline these interactive elements, many will have icons above them showing how you can use them, which has the similar effect of making them easier to identify.
Sound is used in the game to help you identify imminent attacks, and, especially if you have not previously identified the assailant, can give you an advance warning. As this information cannot be displayed visually, you are at a disadvantage if you can't hear these cues.
Game Details
Release Date: 30/05/2014
Out Now: PC and PS4
Skill Rating: 14+ year-olds
Players: 1 (4 online)
Genres: Adventure, Simulation (Action, Fighting and Role-Play)
Accessibility: 16 features
Components: 3D First-Person, Day and Night and Open World
Developer: End Night Game (@EndNightGame)
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 7 accessibility features for Controls in The Forest which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Gamepad
Can play with the following:
Multiple Buttons & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.
Mouse And Keyboard
Can play with the following:
Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.
Remap Controls
Can customise the controls for the game as follows:
Remap Buttons: Can re-map all buttons so that you can use alternatives that better suit your play.
Remap Sticks: Can remap the stick controls to controller buttons for easier access of direction controls.
Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.
Controller Vibration
Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.
Sensitivity
You can adjust
Adjust Mouse/Stick/Touch Sensitivity: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play The Forest, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Far Cry 6 (14 Controls Features)
- Pacific Drive (13 Controls Features)
- The Longing (12 Controls Features)
- Craftopia (11 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in The Forest which deals with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play.
Difficulty Options
Select Difficulty: Select the level of difficulty from a range of presets. This not only offers a way to adjust the challenge of a game but enables you to do so without dealing with individual criteria.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play The Forest, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
- Palworld (3 Difficulty Features)
- Ark: Survival Evolved (3 Difficulty Features)
- Craftopia (2 Difficulty Features)
- Pacific Drive (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in The Forest which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.
Assistance Getting Starting
These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.
Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.
View Control Mapping: You can view a map of controls during play. This clearly displays the mappings of actions to buttons/keys/mouse/keyboard without having to leave the game. This includes games that always display buttons to press during play.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play The Forest, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Frostpunk (7 Getting Started Features)
- Ghostwire Tokyo (6 Getting Started Features)
- Pacific Drive (6 Getting Started Features)
- The Longing (6 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Reading in The Forest which deals with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.
Reading Level
How much reading is required to play the game's main path or story and how complex the language is. The presence of voiced characters doesn't reduce this requirement, as it's recorded as a separate datapoint.
Moderate Reading: Moderate reading required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a high school student (14-year-old) would appreciate.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play The Forest, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Ghostwire Tokyo (7 Reading Features)
- Dead Space (6 Reading Features)
- Far Cry 6 (6 Reading Features)
- Skyblock (5 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in The Forest which deals with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces.
Head-Up Display
Game Map: View a map of the game world during play, with the landscape, points of interest and missions highlighted throughout the entire game. This enables the orientation of the player and the world, confirming a direction of movement and the location of destinations or points of exploration.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play The Forest, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Far Cry 6 (9 Navigation Features)
- Ghostwire Tokyo (7 Navigation Features)
- Pacific Drive (7 Navigation Features)
- Dead Space (6 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in The Forest which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Audio Cues for Visual Events
Audio Cues for Visual Events: Audio is provided to indicate visual events. Game events or progress highlighted by visual icons, effects or animations are also accompanied by audio to signify that progress. This is useful for blind players.
Motion Sickness Friendly
Motion Sickness Friendly: Doesn't have 3D movement elements that may trigger motion sickness, like motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision. Or includes the ability to disable motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision effects.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play The Forest, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Pacific Drive (9 Visual Features)
- Dead Space (7 Visual Features)
- Far Cry 6 (6 Visual Features)
- The Talos Principle (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in The Forest which deal with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.
Adjustable Audio
Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately. This enables you to select your preference as well as ensure critical game sounds aren't obscured by other audio.
Play Without Hearing
Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio
If you want to play The Forest, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Ghostwire Tokyo (4 Audio Features)
- Skyblock (4 Audio Features)
- Far Cry 6 (4 Audio Features)
Communication
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Communication in The Forest which deal with how you can communicate with other players in the game and what options are available to customise and control this interaction. The following games are similar to The Forest, and offer accessibility features for Communication:
- Stellaris (4 Communication Features)
- Rust (4 Communication Features)
- V Rising (3 Communication Features)
- Conan Exiles (3 Communication Features)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
PC
Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators.
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping).
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Ben Kendall and Andy Robertson
